Today, former Rikers Island captain Terrence Pendergrass was sentenced to five years in prison for denying medical attention to an inmate who died after swallowing a toxic detergent packet. When coworkers expressed concern about the inmate, Pendergrass reportedly replied, “Don’t bother me unless someone is dead.”
Rikers Guard Found Guilty of Civil Rights Charge in Inmate Poison Death
Terrence Pendergrass, a former Rikers Island captain who allegedly refused to help a dying mentally ill inmate who had eaten a toxic ball of cleaning powder, was found guilty of a federal civil rights charge today. As the New York Times notes, Pendergrass is the first Rikers official to be charged for a civil rights…
